Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg held his introductory press conference on Friday after being selected with the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg was asked to name his NBA and WNBA Mount Rushmores during the media session and made some interesting selections.
"My Mount Rushmore of NBA players, I would say Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron [James], and probably Kobe [Bryant]," Flagg said.
Flagg choosing Larry Bird here might surprise some people. Bird is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in NBA history, but it's not often that you see his name mentioned in a Mount Rushmore.
Flagg picking Bird was actually somewhat expected, though, as he comes from a family of Boston Celtics fans. His mother, Kelly, once revealed that the kids were gifted the 1985-86 Celtics DVD set for Christmas.
We're huge Celtics fans," Kelly said. "We used to watch film on the Celtics with the older guys - (Larry) Bird, (Kevin) McHale, (Robert) Parish, (Danny) Ainge - who was my guy. We had that on. We bought the kids the 1985-86 Celtics DVD set. That was Cooper's Christmas present when he was eight. When we traveled to AAU events down here in Massachusetts, it would play in our van."
That 1985-86 Celtics team was one of the greatest in NBA history, with Bird, of course, being the man leading the way. Flagg grew up watching clips of that team, and it's no surprise then that he added the Celtics icon to his Mount Rushmore.
As for Bird's career accomplishments, he won three titles, two Finals MVPs, and three MVPs. He also made 12 All-Star, 10 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams.
Bird had some epic clashes with Michael Jordan, who was also named by Flagg here. Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career. He made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams and is regarded as the greatest player of all time.
LeBron James is Jordan's strongest challenger for that title, and he made it in as well. James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He has made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams.
The last spot on Flagg's NBA Mount Rushmore went to Kobe Bryant. Bryant won five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles in his career. He made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-Defensive teams.
Flagg ended up putting just one active player in his NBA Mount Rushmore, but he did the opposite when it came to the WNBA. The 18-year-old went with three active and one retired player in this one.
“Candace Parker, Brittney Griner, I think A'ja Wilson is on there," Flagg stated. "And then I might put Caitlin Clark on there just because she’s changed the game so much, and it’s heading in the right direction. And I just love what she’s been able to do.”
This is where, perhaps, Flagg's age shows a bit. That said, those are some great players.
Candace Parker is the only retired player there, and she won three titles, a Finals MVP, two MVPs, one DPOY, three rebounding titles, and an assist title. Parker made seven All-Star, 10 All-WNBA, and two All-Defensive teams.
Brittney Griner was Flagg's next pick, and she has won a title, two DPOYs, and two scoring titles. Griner has made 10 All-Star, six All-WNBA, and seven All-Defensive teams.
A'ja Wilson has been arguably the best player in the WNBA in recent years, and she made it to Flagg's Mount Rushmore as well. Wilson has won two titles, a Finals MVP, three MVPs, two DPOYs, and a scoring title. She has made six All-Star, five All-WNBA, and four All-Defensive teams.
Flagg's last selection might be the most controversial one, as he went with Caitlin Clark. Clark is just in her second season in the WNBA, but has indeed changed the game. She has become the biggest draw in the league and is on track to go down as one of the greatest players ever.
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